Customer ratings & reviews

Don't Buy this GPS!!!!

Posted 10 years ago

Highland66

As a GPS receiver it appears to work fine; however, it simply lacks a convenient user interface. Simply put, the design of the database is useless. Specifically the Point of Interest (POI) database can NOT be searched by category. In essence, if you'd like to find a store other than a mall or electronics store, you'll have to know its address or the name of the store to search for it. This is not useful! If you needed to find the closest convenience store or department store when you are unfamiliar with the area, how would you know what store name or address to search for?
While the manufacturer claims it is possible for the user to categorize POI's, it is cumbersome, inconvenient, and and time consuming. It is everything you DON'T want from a device (as a category) intended to make your life easier. Why would anyone want to sift through 1,000,000 POI's in order to use their GPS? If you were willing to do that kind of monkey work, you'd be better off programing the telephone directory and selling your POI database. This unit was originally purchased for my parents; I currently use a Garmin Streetpilot i3; I've had it for 2 years. By comparison, the Mio C230 has a larger screen, slick touch-screen interface, and voice-text prompting; but I wouldn't give up my i3 for the C230 on the basis of it's utility as a convenience.
Lastly, it's voice to text leaves something to be desired. I'll concede that probably every GPSR with voice to text has the same problem; however, when attempting to read street names like "La Palma" or "La Mesa" the unit will read them as "Louisiana Palma" which may not annoy you as much as it did me. Even street names like Greenspot or pronounced as Greenspit.

No, I would not recommend this to a friend

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mobes

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

3

Not bad for the price

Posted 11 years ago

mobes

I love the user interface on this GPS. The graphics are smooth, interface is intuitive and easy to use, and speech is pleasant.
I have had some issues with it though. Sometimes it randomly gives an error and power cycles, forgetting all your settings. It's only happened a couple times but is very frustrating. Also, some of the maps are displayed incorrectly. When traveling through western Kansas, some of the roads were shown to be miles wide. I'm not sure if that's the data or the GPS but it's not correct either way. And, finally, sometimes the route is just wrong. We had it route us to a restaurant in an un-familiar city, and the route it picked was 10 miles out on a county road and back, when the restaurant turned out to be about a block away, under our noses. I'm glad that I noticed the destination on the map, because I wouldn't have been happy had I driven in a 20 mile circle. I told it to re-calculate and it picked the correct route.
Overall, the bugs have been rare and the user interface is great. For the price, on sale or not, I do still think it is a good deal. Just be mindful of the aforementioned issues.

I would recommend this to a friend

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Mandrews

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

5

Excellent low cost unit

Posted 10 years ago

Mandrews

I have now owned this GPS unit for a little over two months after having done extensive research into it and like products. I have in that time used it extensively. My first experience with an automobile unit was with the original factory installed unit in my wife's Acura MDXwhich cost over $1000. Though having a smaller screen, I find this unit very comparable to that unit, and large enough. To have text to voice is a requirement as far as I am concerned. Without it you have problems in tight city blocks. Though it is not perfect (what unit is?), by reading through the documentation you can be using this unit to its full extent in 2-3 hours. Many helpful navigational extras but no unnecessary fluff like bluetooth. On a recent plane trip to Denver, it located me within a couple minutes of turning it on. I have no regrets with my purchase and recommend it to anyone. POI's are sufficient. On a trip last month, the unit helped me find a great little seafood restaurant which otherwise I would have not even noticed.

I would recommend this to a friend

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Methos1

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

5

Great for the money!

Posted 10 years ago

Methos1

I have been using the Mio C230 for about a week and have had no problems with it at all. As soon as I plugged it in it recognized my address and identified it. One suggestion that really helped me was reading the directions throughly before hooking it up. Sometimes the urge to try it out right out of the box is just to tempting but the user interface is challenging to figure out on its own. Once you get the hang of using this device you will appreciate the many different options it offers. After several trips it has gotten me to my destination each and every time. If you have problems programming your cell phone or using a computer this may not be the device for you. I have 2 friends who have bought the Garvin nuvi 200 and that device is much easier to use but without many of the C230's options. Both are very impressed with this device and now long for it over theirs. All and all a very accurate GPS with many options that once you get the hang of are easily accessable.

I would recommend this to a friend

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afbond03

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

5

Mio Is Great

Posted 10 years ago

afbond03

After buying a Garmin c300 and thinking it wasn't that great. We went looking for something else. I came across the Mio and for text to speech and the price, it just couldn't be beat. The Mio actually runs a version of Windows so you can also go in and set your own back ground and do alot of different things to the device. I have mine setup with my own background and I am able to watch movies and pictures on it as well. You just have to look on the internet to find out how to do these things. The POI data base is slim but you can go in and add them. We used this from AR to WY and it worked great, we have also used it in Denver and in Cheyenne and it gets it to everything we needed to get to. Even with the slim number of POIs it has had everything we have looked for. I recommend this to anyone looking to get an inexpensive, slim, text to speech GPS! I think I am going to buy another one from best buy before this great price goes away.

I would recommend this to a friend

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SledUtah

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

4

Great for the money

Posted 10 years ago

SledUtah

I am very pleased with this GPS. I used this next to a Garmin 320 for a few days. They would take different routes to the same place, but I'm not sure which was more accurate. The Garmin was more accurate for the ending point, it would say "arriving at destination on the (right/left). While the Mio would only say arrived at destination, with no right/left. A few times it would say arrived at destination when I was still a few blocks away.
The big advantage to the Mio is the customization because it uses a version of mobile Windows. You need to connect it to a computer and do some searches on the web. You can unlock it and download a program that will add MP3 and video capabilities. You can also add games, calculator, photo viewer, etc....
Remember, Best Buy matches prices. It was on sale at another store, so I got a screaming deal (ends 1/4/07), just search for a good price.

I would recommend this to a friend

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Linksys

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

5

awesome gps

Posted 10 years ago

Linksys

I just recently purchased the mio c230 and cannot be happier with it. Like some people said it will give you a route that you think is crazy. All gps units will, no matter which brand. I have owned and returned a Garmin 200 and tomtom 720. The Garmin would not list some streets at all,you would have to touch the street on the screen to see it, to me that was useless. The tomtom would list a main road as the route # only until you were on it, thats fine when you know your way around.
All three of the units gave me questionable routes, but the mio for its price and features blow the garmin and tomtom away. The mio list all streets, has txt to speech,traffic cameras and does not have all the bs, I personally do not need in a gps. Also if you have a motorola bluetooth headset, the charger for it can be used as a home charger, at least the h670 charger does

I would recommend this to a friend

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Scoop

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

5

Mio Rocks

Posted 10 years ago

Scoop

I was overwhelmed researching all the options for GPS units. I was able to eliminate half by not being willing to pay over $200. What was left was limited, even though I didn't want all the bells and whistles...I wanted a GPS. Didn't need a unit that took your blood pressure and translated Hungarian. Text to speech is PRICELESS in a GPS unit. It is invaluable in allowing you to look at the street signs they are announcing approach and when to make the turn, instead of a screen, which is not safe. This unit has shown me new ways to get to things in my own TOWN. Sure, you may think "your way" is best, and very often there is no replacement for local knowledge of roads...but this unit is RELIABLE with fantastic practical options for the $$$. It blows the doors of the Tom Tom, which my neighbors had and bragged about...now, not so much.

I would recommend this to a friend

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Michiman

Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

2

Disappointed

Posted 10 years ago

Michiman

I picked this up after a lot of looking around. Not very happy, but it's not all bad. First, I had a simple question that I e-mailed their tech support with. Waited a month with no response. I re-sent the question. A week later, still nothing. Maps are NOT able to be updated which is a BIG minus. And, I tested it out using an address I knew how to get to. It kept telling me to turn around and go north, when I really needed to be going south. This caused it to recalculate the route for about 5 minutes. It finally caught on, and calculated it right the rest of the way. It locks on to the satellite quickly. Other than the one glitch and the customer support and the fact that the maps are not able to be updated, it's not too horrible. I still would rather have another unit.

No, I would not recommend this to a friend

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Mco82

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

5

great gift

Posted 10 years ago

Mco82

I bought this for someone as a gift. It is a perfect entry level gps for anybody. The text to speech is awesome at this price. It is basic yet has all the options that you want in a gps. There is rerouting, 2-d and 3-d views, a nice legible screen, and very compact. There is no need for bluetooth and mp3 options in a gps system. The pricing on this unit is excellent. I considered a garmuni nuvi and tom tom for the pricing and reliability but both lack text to speech. I think most entry level users think they will get text to speech in every unit and are disappointed when it's not. The only con is that there are only about 3 different voices to choose from that are in English.

I would recommend this to a friend

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Katherine

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

4

Great little navigator

Posted 10 years ago

Katherine

I just picked one up and LOVE it! The text to speech feature is almost unheard of at this price and was the selling point for me. It does't make sense to have a navigation system that you're constantly trying to read to figure out where "turn right" is. The Mio 230 lets you know when you're getting close to a turn, merge, etc. and gives the name of the street your going to be turning on. This is the great thing about text to speech. Another great feature is ability to enter your address intenary. If you're planning on making several stops, like deliveries, you can enter all the addresses in and the Mio will give you the best route. I highly recommend this little guy.

I would recommend this to a friend

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Entrep1

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

4

Very Good Product Depending On What Your Needs Are

Posted 10 years ago

Entrep1

I purchased this unit on 12-24-07 and didn't start using it right away because of the holidays. I'm a Georgia County Police Officer and from another state; I soon saw the need for a GPS system because of the rapid building and expansion of my region and I don't know all of the new developments because they're not on alot of maps.
I took this unit to work, put it in my patrol car and began to answer calls. At first I thought it was taking me in an around about way to get to my destination, but I always arrived in the shortest possible time.
This is a great unit and better than I anticipated.

I would recommend this to a friend

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flybynite

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

5

Great little unit

Posted 10 years ago

flybynite

I had purchased the 220 six months ago and was very happy with it. When my daughter took a job where a GPS would be a big help for her I decided that I would give her that unit. I decided that it would be a good time to update myself to the 230. I thought that the 220 was a great buy but the 230 turned out to be even better. I like the size and have used it on my motorcycle with no problems. If you are looking for a small basic GPS you can't go wrong with this one.

No, I would not recommend this to a friend

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Laurenski

Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

2

Very Dissapointed

Posted 10 years ago

Laurenski

I did my research and thought this would be the best for the price but it is horrible. I tried to get to the easton mall and It was farly easy..but then I had to take my friend back to his house and it took me in circles. I later tried to go to my friends house for new years and the whole time It had no clue where I needed to go because it kept telling me to turn around, when I knew I was going the right way. I am taking it back to the store immediately.

No, I would not recommend this to a friend

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kde86

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

5

Affordable Alternative

Posted 10 years ago

kde86

A great product
May not have all the bells and whistles of more expensive GPS models. But it will get you from point A to B.
If you are looking for an affordable GPS consider this one by Mio.
Text to Speech at this price is rare and a must for me.
The windshield mount is large but extremely secure.
The volume controls for this gps are hidden in a settings menu. but there is a mute option from the main screen.
Overall a great product.

I would recommend this to a friend

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TunemanNYC

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

4

Nice little tool

Posted 10 years ago

TunemanNYC

I love this thing. It's small and portable, fits in a shirt pocket and holds a charge for quite a long time. the only downsides are similar to all such devices:
1. maps need to be updated frequently. Construction and changing traffic patterns can become a problem for you.
2. sometimes the most direct route isn't always the easiest or fastest.
Just remember those things and this tool will help you on your journeys!

I would recommend this to a friend

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DanP

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

4

Basic Functions & Great Price

Posted 10 years ago

DanP

Despite other reviews that say it doesn't have TTS, in fact it does. If the software assesses that you have enough time to hear the street name, it will say it.
If I were to buy one again, I might select a TomTom with map updates contributed by users, since the accuracy of the TeleAtlas maps is suspect. But I purchased this one for less than $130, which is really, really great!
If money were no object, I'd get a Nuvi.

I would recommend this to a friend

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David000

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

4

good gps navigation system

Posted 10 years ago

David000

This is a very decent product, especially for the price. well... hey, it works. thats all im asking for. something easy to use to get me from point a t point b. I live in a bigger city, so i havent run into any problems w/ directions yet, but one complaint i have is the lack of variety in commands. It can sometimes be confusing in weird intersections or junctions. But other than that, great product for the price.

I would recommend this to a friend

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pintopatty

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

4

easy to use & portable

Posted 10 years ago

pintopatty

I travel often and this unit has already gone on 3 trips since I got it at Xmas. Easy to see, easy to pack, easy to program. Using the manual was basically a waste of time, but I found it easy to figure out right out of the box. If you are not at all "techy" this may not be the unit for you, but I'm not that computer savvy, and found this pretty simple to understand.

I would recommend this to a friend

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Dolly7681

Rating: 1 out of 5 stars

1

Broke after only 6 months

Posted 10 years ago

Dolly7681

I got this divice for my boyfriend to use for work, so divice is used every day. After only 6 month of usage ubs conector for charger fell into divice. Customer service sad piace got broken from mother board and that is not covered under warranty and if I want it fixed it would cost $100. Did I mentioned that I had to pay mayself for device shipping to them.